Freaks and Geeks
by MasteringMagic
Summary: They were different. They were mutants. And standing out- especially in High School, isn't something many find endearing. Events and thoughts through the eyes of the X-Men and Brotherhood's other classmates; also known as the 'Normal Ones'. -Small drabbles based throughout the series.
1. Jen

Jen fancied herself to be a normal girl. Not too smart, not too dumb, not too fat, not too skinny. Completely average, and she was rather proud of it say the truth. Which means that like most people in America, she was rather disconcerted at the discovery of mutants. When they had been revealed to even be in the school-, well let's just say that she wasn't looking forwards to going back to on Monday.

But she did, and was surprised at what she saw. These mutants... didn't look like mutants. She was expecting something like- oh, extra limbs or strangely colored eyes or hair. But, that wasn't the case at all. They were her classmates, people she's worked alongside for years in some cases.

She did an art project with Kitty, has helped Evan in English before. Are these the monsters Principal Kelly had warned them about in the morning assembly before the day started and the mutants came?

Jen remembers the first day Rouge had come to school, how alone she had looked. And how content she had looked on the first day of coming to school with the Xavier kids. She remembers how happy she had felt when Jean and Scott had finally come to school hand-in-hand after denying their feelings for so long. She even remembers seeing Lance and his gang hanging out behind the school, laughing and messing around just as any group of adolescent boys would.

Those teens, they're the people that made her mother watch the news with a fearful eye, or made her father even more irritable than usual?

It just didn't add up.

But watching them walk down the halls, insults and jeers being thrown in their path, she knows it to be true. She feels like she should stand up, do something, show them that at least she knows the difference between a monster and a mutant, but since she is entirely average, she simply stands back and does nothing.

High School has never taken kindly to those who are different.


	2. Randy

It was cold. Very cold.

And really, Randy was getting tired of it. Usually he enjoyed a good snowstorm- no school is good school after all. But with his mom always getting home late, he was the only one left to shovel the driveway so she could get in after work. So shovel he did.

Over.

And over.

And over again.

At this point it was just getting ridiculous. So one had to forgive him for the load groan he gave the moment his Homeroom teacher warned them about an incoming blizzard.

It looked like he wasn't the only one, too. One of the Xavier kids- a tanned guy named Roberto- wasn't looking too excited at the prospect. He wasn't looking too tanned anymore either. It could have just been the lack of sun for the past few weeks, but he would have thought that it would take more time than that to make someone so pale and sickly. Randy had noticed him looking weaker and weaker the past few days, and he looked practically dead on his feet now.

Randy wanted to just walk away, really he did, but his mother had unfortunately instilled excellent morals in him.

So when class ended, instead of going straight home like he usually did, he found himself stopping at his classmates locker.

Roberto was leaning against his locker, forehead resting on the cool metal. His face had an almost feverish tint to it, and his eyes were slightly glazed over. Randy barely managed to stop himself from reaching out a hand, and instead settled for standing next to him awkwardly.

"U-uh, hey? Roberto?" Randy internally cursed himself for stuttering. But the other boy didn't respond, and Randy could only guess he hadn't heard him. In fact, he could probably walk away right now and no one would-

_But, if he's sick enough that didn't hear you when you where right next to him, what would happen if you left him here on his own?_

Curse you, conscious!

"Roberto!" He said more forcefully, but made sure to grab the others arm gently. "Are you alright?" The taller teen focused hazy eyes on him, an incoherent grumble pushing its way painfully out of his throat.

"M'fine." Roberto finally replied, pushing himself up and wrenching his arm out of the other boys grip. He went to walk away, but in a split second decision, Randy stepped in front of him, staying stubborn in his support. Which turned out to be a good plan, as he practically collapsed, leaving Randy to struggle with his weight. He panicked for a moment, wondering whether to bring to the nurses office or not, before the sound of approaching footsteps gave him some relief.

Until he saw who it was.

Rouge was stomping towards them, her usual scowl etched onto her face.

"Just what do ya think you're doin'?" She growled, yanking the sick boy out of his arms and behind her, taking a protective stance.

"I-I, he was," Randy stumbled over his words, the goths dark glare intimidating him more than he would like to admit, "he was sick! I was just trying to see if he needed help, and then he, he just collapsed, and I-"

"Alrigh'." She interrupted. "Ah get it. But Ah can take it from here." Hefting Roberto's arm over her shoulder, she stood up easily, the extra weight not seeming to bother her at all.

Randy watched them, scratching the back of his head as the two walked (well, more like Rouge walked and dragged Roberto along) around him and headed to the exit.

Feeling compelled to say something, he called out; "U-um, are you sure you don't want any help? I don't mind!" She answered without turning around.

"No, Ah'm fine."

She then paused, and looked back at him for a moment. Randy could almost swear that for a second her eyes turned soft.

"Thanks. You've got guts, Ah'll give ya that."

Randy waved at their retreating backs, feeling slightly confused. Somehow, he got the feeling that he had just started something.


	3. Liz

"And then do you know what he said? 'We can still be friends, right?' The nerve of him! After everything we've gone through together, he just breaks up with me out of nowhere and expects me to be satisfied with that?" The teen ranted to her friend in the bathroom, glad to finally have someone to listen to her grievances.

Liz nodded in sympathy. Though she had never really been in a relationship, she imagined that saying that to a girl after a bad breakup was one of the stupidest things to do.

"I don't really get it." She admitted sheepishly. "What's the point of saying something like that? 'We can still be friends.'" She scoffed, absent-mindingly fixing her hair and straightening her shirt while she was at it. "It's as if he was saying, 'Oh, I know that the cat died, but we can keep it anyways right?'"

"That's exactly it!" The other girl agreed excitedly. "Finally, someone who gets it! When I tried to talk to my mom about it she just said that I wouldn't even remember this in a month."

The two quieted once someone else entered the room. Liz busied herself with looking in the mirror, trying her best to avoid staring at the blonde girl who was fixing her makeup.

Tabitha Smith was disliked for many reasons, her attitude being the least of them. Liz didn't really know her personally, but her flippant way of looking at things had always rather annoyed her.

"So..." The girl in question began, looking over at them with a taunting gleam in her eyes that immediately reminded the two _why _they disliked her. "Anything new in your 'Magical Valley Girl' land?" Liz scowled.

"No." She bit out. "Nothing to concern yourself with."

"Geez." Tabby rolled her eyes. "No need to get all prissy, _princess_. Don't go throwing a hissy-fit just because something doesn't fit in your perfect cookie-cutter world." Liz sucked in a breath, attempting to control her temper.

"Look," she ground her teeth, finally whirling around to glare at the other girl. "We don't have to deal with this. Just get out, okay? Why do you even bother coming to school if all you're gonna do is screw around and piss people off?"

"I don't have to explain myself to you!" She snapped.

"Yeah," Liz retorted, "and that means I don't have to explain myself either, when I tell you to _get the hell out_!"

"Don't have to tell me twice!" Tabby snorted, taking her time sashaying out the door and bumping it closed with her hip.

"Except I _did_." Liz muttered to herself, feeling her already bad mood plummet even more.

"Ugh." Her companion groaned. "I hate her."

"No kidding." She scoffed. "What a freak."


	4. Madeline

Madeline hated bullies. All kinds. It didn't matter how old, who they were, or why they did it. If she saw someone being bullied, well, that's when the gloves came off.

Which is why she didn't even think twice to step in between Rahne and the older man that was threatening her.

"I'm sorry," she said sweetly, reaching up to dig her nails into the mans arm, "but is there a reason that you're harassing my classmate?" He sneered down at her.

"Don't play dumb." He gestured down to the teary-eyed Scottish girl that he had in his grasp, strengthening his hold until she let out a choked whimper. "It's a monster, and you know it. I'm simply doing what everyone else wants to." Madeline quickly glanced around, afraid to take her eyes off of him for long. It was true. They were in clear sight of everyone on the street, Rahne held up by her collar against the buildings side. But no one was helping, or even calling the police. In fact, they looked like they were actively avoiding them!

She was furious. Had people become so cowardly, so hateful, after Mutants had been revealed that they wouldn't even help a young defenseless girl?

"I don't care." She growled, feeling a pang in her heart when Rahne looked at her in surprise. Were the mutants being so ostracized that even the smallest amount of kindness came as a shock? Grabbing the man with both hands, she shoved him away, standing in front of her classmate defiantly. "No matter what you or any other bigoted idiot believes, Rahne has never been anything but kind to me and everyone else. She is not the monster here, you are!" The man was looking at her as if she had grown another head, but he seemed to be quickly getting over his astonishment and now looked at her in disgust.

"You're just like them." He spat, getting back onto his feet. He gave one last parting shot before sprinting away; "Freaks, the lot of you!"

Madeline watched him go, following with her eyes until he went around the corner. When he had finally fled, she turned back to Rahne with a dismissive snort. She knew his type, all brawn and no brains. And not even in the good way, like the sort of lovable moron who becomes the gangs comic relief. They were a whole subgroup of their own. But, no matter. There were more important things to think about then humanity's inability to learn from their mistakes.

She smiled gently at her brunette classmate, trying to be reassuring.

"Don't worry, he's gone now. You're safe."

But Rahne just shook her head, looking up from straightening her shirt with a bitter and angry expression that made Madeline stop cold.

"No." She bit out in her thick Scottish brogue. "As long as there are folks like him around, us Mutants will ne'er be safe."

And to that, Madeline could do nothing but watch with a lost expression as the other girl limped off.

After all, what could she do when even she knew that it was the truth?


	5. Mr Menner

Checking another item off of his list, Brian Menner rolled his eyes with a sigh.

_Become an English teacher, they said. You'll be able to educate the future generation of our country!_

_More like future dimwits._

But he shook that thought from his head quickly. While it's true that a teachers job was mostly a thankless one, it had its own rewards.

_And its punishments._ He grumbled to himself bitterly as a dull roar from outside disturbed his ritual of cleaning the classroom and getting ready to leave for the day.

Looking out the window to see what all the commotion was about, he frowned. Near the entrance to the school was a group of angry citizens, holding signs and chanting loudly. He couldn't make out what they were saying, or what was written on the signs, but he could only assume that it had something to do with mutants.

Mutants. He could hardly wrap his head around the fact. It felt like it was something out of a comic book, but instead, it was his life. Not only his, but _everyones_. Infact, now knowing about it he felt rather silly. How is it that none of them had noticed, hadn't even seen the smallest sign that there was something strange going on?

_Then again,_ he mused, _there had been some indications. _People, him included, had just been so wrapped up in their own lives and problems that they hadn't even realized. Things that, before, he had just been able to write off or ignore, now came back to the forefront of his mind. They seemed to gleefully shove his ignorance in his face, saying _you thought something was weird, didn't you? But you just ignored it, you naive little man. Thought it didn't affect you, no it wasn't __**your**__ problem, was it?_

In truth, the knowledge that mutants existed, that they _lived in the same town as him_ had terrified him at first.

He had even considered resigning from his job at Bayville High, not even being able to comprehend actually _teaching_ to any of them, until he saw a last minute news broadcast on the subject.

On national tv was a beautiful white haired woman and some sort of strange blue-furred creature. He had ignored it at first, mind still clouded by trepidation and fear, until the creature revealed his name to be Hank McCoy. Brian had then immediately turned his attention to the show, hardly able to believe his eyes. He had immensely enjoyed Hank's company at school, and was distraught when the man had gone missing.

Maybe there was more to this… _mutant _thing that he had first thought.

He'd decided to come back to the school in that moment, and hadn't regretted it since.

He was seriously beginning to change his mind about it now however.

The entrance was crawling with rabble rousers, all shouting for the mutants to leave, or to get the principal fired for allowing them in. Brian sent a small desperate prayer to get past them peacefully, but Lady Luck was not on his side today. In hindsight, it seemed attempting to get past them without a confrontation was a foolish wish.

"Hey, you!" One man shouted, grabbing his arm and yanking him back painfully. Brian winced, trying to subtly pull away from the older man who was spraying him with spittle and hatred. "How could you work in a place like this? Teach those monsters like they're just regular people!"

"That's because they _are_." He said stiffly, yanking his arm away once it was clear the other wasn't going to let him go peacefully. "An extra gene doesn't make them a monster, it's their _actions_ that determine that."

"Yeah right!" The protester howled with laughter, all of his companions joining him as well. "Not a monster, HA! How do you explain all of the extra limbs and fur then? Giant demonic teddy bears?" He seemed to get great amusement from this analogy, setting everyone off in another wave of mocking guffas.

Brian was forcibly reminded of a group of neanderthals fighting over whether to wage war with a group of cro-magnons.

_They're __**different**__, can't you see? Different __**bad**__, same __**good**__._

He couldn't restrain his smile at the thought of the small-minded and fearful people all turned into clumsy apes, but Head Protester seemed to take it as a sign of victory.

"Now you get it." He nodded approvingly. "They're not like you or me. If we don't do something about it, they'll ruin everything us humans have worked for!"

"I," Brian growled, "am _nothing_ like you." Shoving his way past them, he made his way angrily to his car. And on his way home that day, he made a promise to himself.

It was too late to take back what he had done before, but he could change what would happen in the future. He could make it a better one than these protestors foresaw.

And he could start with finally contacting his old friend McCoy.


	6. Elena

Elena had come to learn that first day jitters were a cruel and heartless thing. Moving to Bayville had been stressful enough, but also starting high school in the middle of the first term? That was even worse. By this point, everyone had already settled into their own cliques, had their own friends, and any group that she joined at this juncture would just see her as that weird kid who tagged along with them everywhere.

Great, just what she needed.

_But it wasn't all bad_, she mused to herself while climbing the steps to get into the building, _the teachers she had met so far had seemed nice, and she already had a healthy amount of fearful respect for their hardcore principal, Ms. Darkholme._

Making her way quickly into the main office, she sat in the waiting room as directed by the secretary. She wasn't sure why Ms. Darkholme had decided to give her school schedule to her directly, but she wasn't going to be the one to tell her no. The woman was seriously frightening.

Shifting in the cold metal contraption they dared to call a chair, her mind wandered to a different topic.

Why _were_ the chairs like this? Was it to discourage people from visiting? It was hard to think of a reason why _anyone_ would want such uncomfortable furniture, but maybe that was the point. It was easy to picture these evil things being used as a form of punishment for the foolish students who disobeyed the Principal's iron clad rules. That would be a very miserable existence indeed-

Her rapid, (and even she could admit they were rather silly) thoughts were interrupted when a voice called out her name to enter.

Swallowing around a lump in her throat she hadn't even realized was there, Elena got up and walked stiffly into Ms. Darkholmes office.

There was nothing to be nervous about. When she had previously met the woman in preparation of her transfer alongside her parents she had seemed perfectly nice, if rather stern.

So why was she getting the feeling she was strolling blindfolded into the lions den?


	7. Leo

Mutants.

Fucking_ mutants!_

His mind was in a fear-induced haze as he ducked behind the bleachers. How had everything gone so wrong? It was just another soccer game, something he only went to so that he could complain about it later. Then those 'Brotherhood' losers had shown up and everything had gone to hell!

Leo had never really paid much attention to them before. They were just those weird kids who had a rivalry with the pampered Xavier brats, and while he usually rooted on the Brotherhood over the X-Jerks, he'd had no idea that their whole problem with each other was fighting over which of them was the bigger _freak_.

And now all the normal people were caught up in their damn grudge match!

Flinching as another loud boom echoed throughout the area, he curled into himself further, hoping beyond hope that this would just _stop_.

Suddenly, a hush fell over the field. No explosions or flashing lights, no more screams or battle cries.

Hesitantly, he peeked around the corner, only to blanch in terror at what he spotted.

He could almost _see_ the wave of energy coming towards him. Everyone it touched became silent and oddly complacent. He didn't know exactly what was going on with them, but he didn't want to lose any part of himself like they seemed to be doing.

His last thought was a swell of fear towards the unassuming bald man in the wheelchair, hands clenched by his head in concentration.

No, no, _no_-

Leo found himself blinking in confusion. Rubbing his forehead to stave off the headache he felt coming, he stumbled out from his hiding place to see that most everyone else was looking lost as well.

What was he so upset about again?


	8. Susan

"Who're they?"

Susan glanced around nervously, hoping that no one had heard the query. If she had known it would have been _this_ much trouble to show around the new girl…

It was an innocent question, and Susan would have been happy to answer it (as she was a bit of a gossiper herself) if it had been asked about anyone else.

But it wasn't.

Susan had followed the new girl's line of sight to a group of students all hunched together at their lunch table. They were gazing around with shifty eyes, always on the lookout for a new threat.

It was the Xavier kids.

It was hard to imagine that not even three months ago she had viewed those… _things_ as classmates, if not friends in some cases.

But then Principal Kelly had told them the truth.

They were really monsters that were wearing the faces of their fellow teens. Demons masquerading as humans. The shock that she felt had quickly regressed into disgust, then hatred. How could they have tricked them like that? They had probably mocked them behind their backs, trading stories of how _stupid_ the humans were for falling for their lies.

For daring to think they were equal.

But that anger melted into fright soon enough. How could she go to school, knowing that they might just decide to kill her at any moment?

Susan still struggled with that every day.

"Oh." She swallowed around the lump in her throat, hoping the fear she was feeling wasn't too easily seen on her face. "They're, the, uh… Mutants."

The other girl paled, and out of the corner of her eye Susan could see her hands had begun to shake.

"_Oh_." She replied, voice choking on the word as if it tasted bitter in her mouth.

And really, what else could any of them say?


	9. Haley

"I can't believe he said yes!" She whispered to herself, filled with glee. Pietro Maximoff had just accepted her invitation to the Sadie Hawkins dance, and Haley couldn't be happier. She had harbored a small crush on the silver-haired boy for several months now, and even though he was rather arrogant, she found it amusing most of the time.

"Um, hey." She gasped, startled. Clutching her hands over her chest, she tried to calm her heart. Turning around, she realized it was her science lab partner, Evan Daniels.

"Yes?" She asked cautiously. Though she liked him well enough, she didn't know if they were really classified as friends. She'd like to think so, but you could never tell with some people…

"I, uh, heard you asked Pietro to the dance." He was scratching the back of his head, a nervous habit she had noticed. He seemed distinctly uncomfortable, and she felt her heart sink into her stomach.

"Y-yeah, I did. Why? Did something happen?"

"Well…" Evan avoided looking at her. "I think that you're not the only one." Her heart stopped.

"What?" He winced.

"At least two other girls have asked him as well. And I think he also said yes to them." She began to shake. "I wanted to warn you, because well… I thought you deserved better than to be deceived by him. You're a really nice girl."

"Oh…" She whispered. Her eyes began to tear up, but she wiped them away. "I don't know whether to believe you or not to be honest. I'll go to the dance, and if you're right… Well I don't know what I'll do." She turned to leave, and Evan watched her go with an unreadable expression on his face.

At the dance that night, Haley was met with the sight she had feared. Pietro hadn't stood her up, but he had arrived with two other girls on his arms. Evan had been right!

"Well?" He looked questioningly at her, holding out an arm as if he expected her to come running into his embrace. She was ashamed to admit that a week ago she wouldn't have hesitated in going to him, she was so infatuated. But now she knew better. Evan had opened her eyes.

"If you'll excuse me," she said between gritted teeth, "I actually have somewhere else to be." Pietro watched her go with a raised brow, feeling rather confused.

"What's her problem?"

Stomping away, Haley could barely hold back the tears. She had been so stupid to think he actually liked her. Se knew of his habits, but she had been willing to overlook it. She didn't want to try and change him, she was hoping that he could change without her prodding. She hadn't wanted to be one of _those_ girls, demanding unreasonable things of the boys they liked. She shook her head, trying to keep her mind off it. Taking a deep breath, Haley marched up to the boy who had known all along. Evan was resting against the wall in the gym, looking around broodingly.

"Evan..." She said quietly, resting her hand on his arm. "You were right. I'm sorry I didn't listen." He looked at her sympathetically.

"And I'm sorry he really did that to you. What a jerk..." He scowled. But Haley simply gave him a wobbly smile. Just coming over here had made her feel better. For the next half-hour, the two talked about anything and everything, neither really feeling up to going to dance. Things were going good until frightened yells began to pierce the air.

"Evan!" A voice screamed desperately. The two whirled around to see one of Evan's friends, Kitty she thought her name was, looking very panicked. "We need to help the others! There's big trouble!"

"Um..." His eyes darted towards her, clearly reluctant to leave her after the night she'd had. But she just grinned sadly.

"Go on." Haley said encouragingly, pushing away her own feelings in order to do what she knew was best. "Your friends need you."

"Yeah." He scratched the back of his head with a uncertain look. "But you're my friend too." Her heart skipped a beat. She smiled genuinely for the first time that night, pleased that he thought of her as a friend.

"I'll still be here Monday."

He smiled back at her.

"Alright. See you then!" And off he ran, a determined look coming over his face as he went in the direction of the disturbance with Kitty. Haley stood there, a warm feeling in her heart. Despite the horrible beginning to this night, she couldn't think of a better way for it to end.


	10. Kevin

"Holy crap…" Kevin whispered to himself. Reaching up, he wiped his eyes with his sleeve vigorously before looking back at the scene before him. "I must be high. It's the only explanation for this type of crazy shit."

Standing right around the corner of where Kevin had hid himself was the arrogant Bobby Drake. While Kevin had never particularly gotten along with him, even he wasn't crazy enough to believe that this was really happening. Because if he was to believe what he was seeing, it would mean that Bobby was somehow generating _ice_ out of his hands.

_His hands_.

What the hell?!

Obviously, he was high. Seriously high. Either that, or he had somehow gotten a concussion in the last five minutes without remembering it. That was also an option.

Because this, _this_ was not happening.

Kevin clutched at his chest, trying to calm down. Obviously there was something going on here that he wasn't privy to. He wasn't quite sure how he felt about that. On one hand, Kevin liked to think he was smart enough not to get into things that could potentially get him killed. On the other hand however, he did have a sort of unwavering curiosity.

(A quote about cats and curiosity suddenly came to mind.)

In the end, curiosity won him over.

Stepping around the corner, he cleared his throat.

Bobby whirled around, the ice his form had gained melting away at an instant once he realized someone had been watching him.

"Oh… crap." He whispered, paling considerably. "Look, I can explain this. Just don't let anyone else know about this okay? I'll do anything!" Feeling rather bad for his babbling classmate, Kevin decided to take pity on him. With a sudden idea inspired from the fantasy games he'd seen his older brother and friends playing, he could only hope Bobby decided to play along.

"Don't worry." Kevin whispered with a serious look. "I won't tell anyone that you're a mage."

"Oh, thank-" he paused for a moment, looking jarred "wait, what?"

"You're an Ice Mage." He said confidently, his hands on his hips as if he thought Bobby was stupid for forgetting. "But I'll keep your secret."

"Okay…" Bobby looked at him weirdly. "Thanks, I guess?"

"Your welcome!" Kevin uttered proudly. He gave Bobby a brilliant smile, holding out his hand for a fist bump. Bobby couldn't fight the small grin that lit up his face, only hesitating for a moment before returning the fist bump.

This seemed to be the start of a beautiful friendship.


	11. Alex

Alex liked skulking around the gates to the high school as much as any other guy could. But it was generally seen as a bad idea to the rest of the public. So, when he saw a tall man in a trench coat lurking and looking generally suspicious, he felt morally obligated to do something about it.

Let it never be said that he did nothing for his community.

Striding up to the dubious seeming guy, Alex let out a sigh. He did so hate to interfere with other people's business, but as a senior, and a member of the community (however unwilling that forced containment was) he was reluctant to simply let this pass by.

"Yo." He said boredly, causing the man to turn towards him. He was taller than Alex by several inches with short brown hair. He seemed to be wearing some sort of strange uniform underneath the trench coat, and black shades covered his eyes.

"Can Ah help you?" He raised a brow, obviously unimpressed with Alex's slumped stature and uninterested facial features. Alex noted his Cajun accent with some curiosity, straightening up slightly.

"Actually," Alex replied sharply, making the man gaze at him with slight surprise at the sudden attitude, "I think it's the other way around. Are you looking for someone?"

"You could say dat." He said neutrally, returning his stare to the students leaving the school. "Not dat it's any of your business." Alex narrowed his eyes at the obvious dismissal. Oh, now he was angry. Before he had been only annoyed, maybe even a little amused, but now he felt insulted.

Alex didn't really have many friends in school, only people that would wave to him in the hall, so it wasn't often that his interest was piqued. And then to have that person completely blow him off? Unacceptable.

"In fact, I _do_ think it's my business." Alex grasped the elder mans arm threateningly, causing him to look down amusingly, as if Alex was some sort of tiny child sticking his nose into something he couldn't even begin to comprehend. This only infuriated the school senior even more. "If you're involving anyone in this school with something they're not comfortable with, I do have a certain commitment to try and deter you."

"Oh, really?" The other chuckled even as he gently pulled his arm out of the younger's grip. "Nice to know. Remy'll have to keep dat in mind." The man, Remy apparently, began walking deliberately slow towards the gates. Alex kept a watchful eye on him, and the Cajun could clearly tell, since as soon as he had left the entrance, he turned back to grace him with a smirk. He leaned his sunglasses down his nose, and for a second Alex could swear he saw a flash of red on black, but the moment was gone as quick as it had came. Remy the Stalking Cajun had disappeared, and the only sign he had even been there in the first place was the memories Alex had and the faint smell of smoke in the air.

Alex left that day with a strange feeling in his chest, unaware of the thankful eyes of a girl named Rogue that watched him as he left. Unknowingly, he had saved her the trouble of getting rid of the Cajun on her own.

But, whatever. All he cared about was going home and being able to take a nap for a few hours before work.

After all, it's not like he'd ever have to see that weird guy again.


	12. Dennis

Dennis hated kids. As a janitor, he figured it was part of his job description. No, he hadn't _always _hated kids. He'd really liked them as a matter of fact. Ironically, it was him choosing this job that had caused him to hate them. He thought it might be like some horrible form of karma. He'd always been a troublemaker in school, constantly causing messes and generally making other people miserable with his very existence. Now he was on the other end of it.

Oh, _how_ he hated kids.

_Especially _obnoxious brown haired punks who thought they were the best of the best. And even _more_ when they had to spend a whole hour of detention with him for some stupid prank or another.

"And you're not leaving until you clean every desk in this room." Lance Alvers, the obnoxious punk in question, snarled at him in hatred. Dennis simply gave him a cold glare, and the 'Brotherhood' (or whatever his little gang was calling itself) leader seemed to shrink into himself slightly.

"Not like I have anyone waiting for me at home anyway." Lance muttered bitterly, before seeming to realize that he'd said it aloud. A light blush coating his cheeks, the teen looked away and returned to his vigorous scrubbing. Dennis couldn't stop the small frown that came to his face. He knew what it was like to be that kid. The unwanted one, the mistake.

And now he was a bitter old man, angry and alone.

Not exactly a comforting thought.

"Don't worry so much kid." He spoke gruffly, looking determinedly away when Lance looked up at him in surprise. "You're a fighter. I know you'll find your place in this world soon enough." Lance paused, seeming to think hard.

"I'm not like the others, though." His voice was almost despondent in its grief, and for a moment Dennis saw a reflection of a younger self, standing on his own against the rest of the planet.

_I'm not like the others._

"None of us are." To his surprise, a small, rough sounding laugh worked it's way from his throat. "No one is like the others. Isn't that what they say? That everyone is unique, their own special little snowflake?"

"Maybe." Lance allowed, turning back to the task at hand. "But my difference is a little more extreme than some may think." Dennis scratched at his chin, scruffy gristle reminding him he'd have to shave soon.

"Well, whether you're an alien, a robot, or some kind of superhero, rest assured that you'll always be a snotty little brat to me."

Whirling around to grab his broom so he could start sweeping the classroom, he missed the small smile that had graced Lance's face. When he had come back around it was a scowl again, and the room was once more empty of everyone but two bitter, lonely people.

Who would never admit it, but always felt just a little bit better when there was someone else around to be lonely with.


	13. Andrew

"So can you fly?"

"No."

"Can you melt things?"

"No."

"Can you _freeze_ things?"

"Like, for the last time, _no_!"

Andrew huffed. Sure, maybe he was being a _little_ annoying, but there was no need to be so rude about it! He was new to Bayville, and his parents had been hesitant about coming here after the whole mutant thing, but he thought it was awesome! So when he saw one of the kids who had been on the news, he just had to go and say hi.

Unfortunately, she didn't seem very receptive to his (many) questions.

"What's your name, anyways?" She rolled her eyes, speeding up her steps in a futile attempt to escape. When it was clear she wouldn't be able to get away, she answered reluctantly.

"Kitty Pryde. Now, if you like, don't mind, I have somewhere else to be."

_Anywhere else._ She added silently. He wasn't _that_ bad, and it was actually kind of nice to have someone interested in their powers instead of judging them for once, but he was just so... excitable.

"My name is Andrew. Where are you going? Can I come? Ooh, are you going to go see your other mutant friends? What powers do _they_ have?" He babbled, getting more and more worked up by the moment.

"Look," Kitty said testily, "it's, like, nothing personal, but I _really_ have to go." She walked even faster, trying to make it as obvious as possible without outright stating it. Andrew paused in his attempts to catch up with her, a rather despondent seeming look in his eyes.

"You don't like me very much, do you?" He stated, staring downward when Kitty glanced back at him with a startled and slightly guilty expression on her face. "That's okay... I'm sorry for bothering you. I just don't have any friends in Bayville yet, and since you seemed so totally _cool_ on the news clip, I figured..." He sighed, and turned to walk away.

Kitty watched him go and bit her lip, feeling kind of bad for how she had treated him like that just because she'd had a crappy day. If she let him go now, she'd have a real guilty conscience. Besides, no high schooler should be that effective with puppy-dog eyes!

"Wait." She called out. When he turned around, she tried to explain herself with a sigh. "I've just had a really long day, I have an English test to study for... And I'm more used to people being afraid of me because of my powers. It's not, like, _unwelcome_ or anything, just different. And to be frank, you're being, like, totally overbearing about it. If you could just slow down a little, then I think we could be friends." Finished with her rant, she saw him staring at her and groaned. Well there goes that idea.

"Oh, great." She muttered, seeing the shocked look on his face. "Like, nice going Kitty. You've done it again." Surprisingly, he shook his head.

"No, no." He assured. "I'm not upset, in fact..." He laughed, a bright grin lighting up his face.

"Thanks." Andrew said honestly. "I'm so used to my parents always telling me that '_everything will be alright_' and that I have '_nothing to worry about_'... It's nice to know someone who isn't afraid to tell me like it is."

Kitty smiled, her first real one all day.

"No problem."


	14. Nina

**Hello! I am, in fact, not dead. Updates will be on schedule from now on, though there may need to be some shuffling around. Thanks for reading, and I'm terribly sorry for the long wait.**

* * *

"Sup, Webbs." Nina chuckled as she ruffled the younger boys hair. "Stalking your lover girl again?" He hissed at her, hand swiping hers away.

"I'm not stalking her." He snapped. "And I told you not to call me that! I go by Arcade now!"

Nina wrinkled her nose in distaste. She thought Webber was a cool name, didn't see a reason for the kid to go and change it, but never mind that. A devious smirk appeared on her face, and upon seeing it, Arcade groaned. That smirk never meant anything good for anyone.

"Oh, you're not stalking her?" She asked innocently, even going so far as to widen her eyes in shock when he vigorously nodded his head in an attempt to convey his vehemence. "Then what exactly do you kids call it these days? Ah, yes. A long romantic walk together that only one of them knows about. Am I right?"

"No!" He retorted, face flushed in embarrassment. "You're not!"

"Oh, Kitty!" She continued, ignoring his protests. "I just _love_ you, even though I've probably never spoken more than three words to you, and I don't even know what your last name is! I would do anything for you, even though you don't even know I exist. I'm sure we would be perfect together!" Arcade snarled in anger, jumping to grab his friend so that he could get her to shut up. But Nina danced away, fluttering her eyelashes in a mock coy manner.

"Oh Kitty, my dearest!"

"Nina, stop it!"

"Mi Amor, mi Corazón!"

"_Nina_!"

"Oh, I love you, I love you! My darling, my sweet!"

Running after his friend in vain, Arcade accidentally bumped into a girl named Kitty Pryde, yelling a "Sorry!" over his shoulder before continuing in his quest.

"Marry me, marry me! Oh Kitty, be mine!"

Looking up, Kitty frowned in confusion.

"Like, did someone say my name?"


	15. Charlotte

Charlotte sniggered to herself. Holding up her camera, she quickly snapped another picture.

_This will be the perfect scoop!_

As an intrepid reporter, Charlotte was always looking out for a new story. And well, being the only reporter for the school newspaper, she had a lot of work to do. And precious little time to do it in. She felt like she was in a constant rush, heading around Bayville and the school in search of some new material. The newspaper had not been doing too good recently, no one was taking it seriously. Which was _not good_. What if the principal decided it was a waste of time and shut them down? She'd be out of a job! She'd be out on the streets!

Well, it probably wouldn't be _that_ extreme. It wasn't exactly a _paying_ job after all.

But this, this was her big break!

A ghost in the school- this would change everything! As soon as she had heard, she'd ran off to get some proof. No one would believe just her and a couple of stoners that claimed they saw a "blue furred, demonic, _teleporting_" ghost. Thinking about it now, Charlotte had to admit that the whole thing sounded rather ridiculous. More like some strange sort of circus act than the typical ghost you would find haunting a high school.

Even if this _did_ turn out to be some sort of elaborate prank like people were beginning to suspect, it would still be enough for the front cover. Well, hopefully at least.

Looking around, Charlotte zoomed in on a boy named Kurt Wagner, german exchange student. She had done a small article on him when he first entered the school, and had seemed nice enough, if a little arrogant. But none of that mattered now. All that mattered was that he was _here_, the last known reported sighting of the ghost.

Stalking towards him like a predator would its prey, she landed a friendly hand on his shoulder with the grip just tight enough to grab him if he tried to run away like all the others. (She really needed to work on her publicity.)

"Kurt!" She said brightly. "Good to see you again, my name's Charlotte in case you have forgotten. Remember the interview we did?"

"Oh, yeah!" His eyes lit up in recognition, before darting nervously to where a group of people who were obviously his friends were waiting impatiently. "Sorry but I really have to go-"

"Nonsense!" Charlotte interrupted, making sure to use her sugary-sweet _'you will give me what I want'_ voice. She had perfected it over the years, and it was especially helpful in situations like this. "I just want to ask you a few questions."

"I don't really have time, maybe tomorrow would be better?" He laughed nervously, ducking out of her grasp and making a break for it.

"I just wanted to ask your opinion about the weird ghost that's running around!" She called after him frustratedly. For a single moment, she could swear that he froze.

"No comment!" Then he jumped in the red sports car she recognized as Scott Summers (she'd asked to do an interview about his eye condition, but he'd totally blown her off), and drove away post-haste. She recognized everyone in the car except for one weird looking guy. His clothing was just so… seventies.

"Well whatever. Not like it matters now anyways." She mumbled to herself, beginning to make the long trek home.

Somehow, she got the feeling that she had just let the biggest scoop of the century fall right through her fingertips.


	16. Katie

Logan pretty much hated his life right now.

He got stuck on _birthday duty_.

(Sheesh, you blow up a helicopter _one_ time, and some people can just _never let it g_o.)

But despite the logical and well-thought out argument that he had prepared in his defense, ("I regret nothing, those S.H.I.E.L.D. punks definitely had it coming.") Xavier hadn't seemed very impressed. So, here he was, keeping an eye on the brats that were coming for Jamie's thirteenth birthday.

Or at least, the brats that were _supposed_ to be there.

"They said that they'd come." Jamie said mournfully, clenching his fists as he stared at the empty driveway and 'Happy Birthday!' balloons strewn all across the lawn.

Logan humphed in response, getting a bad feeling about why no one seemed to be showing up.

Luckily, just when the two of them were about to give up hope and head back inside, a lone figure started coming up the pavement.

"It's Katie!" Jamie informed him gleefully, waving to his classmate enthusiastically. "Hi Katie!"

"Hey Jamie!" She hollered back, a wide grin stretching across her face. Racing up to join them at the steps, she proudly handed Jamie his present before looking around with obvious befuddlement. "Where's everyone else? I was so convinced that I was going to be late, but it guess I'm the first one here, huh?"

Jamie swallowed thickly, and Logan decided that this was the moment for him to speak up.

"They ain't coming."

The befuddlement didn't change. If anything, it got _worse_.

"But, why?"

"Ain't that the question of the century." Logan muttered sarcastically, waiting for the dots to connect and this girl to run screaming like all the others.

"Is it because you're a mutant?" She finally realized. Jamie nodded silently and bowed his head, ready for the disgust that was sure to follow. Of course she had just forgotten. There's no way she would have come anyway else, she would have just avoided him like all the others.

"That's so stupid!" But Katie, it seemed, was not like all the others. "C'mon, you and I can have fun without those jerks!" Grabbing Jamie by the collar, she stormed inside the mansion with a determined expression on her face. Distantly, through his mild shock, Logan heard her asking if Jamie wanted to draw a picture with her, and Jamie (apparently just about as dazed as Logan was) agreeing with only a minimal amount of fuss.

It took him a moment to remember that he should probably follow them so that One-eye wouldn't accuse him of 'shirking his duties', so Logan went inside, slamming the expensive mansion door behind him with a scowl.

They were sitting in the dining room, papers placed all over the long table so that they could draw as much as they wanted. When Logan finally decided to come in the room with them, (for a lack of anything better to do), they were gathering supplies and Katie seemed to have gone back to the argument from outside.

"I just don't get it." The young girl said distractedly, attempting to prove her point and carry the markers over for her and Jamie to share at the same time. "I mean, what does it matter if Jamie's a mutant? After all," she continued, "we were his friends before we found out about it, and nobody minded _then_." She pointed all of this evidence out within the span of a second, not even stopping to breathe.

"They think I'm a freak." Jamie said sullenly, glaring at his drawing as if it were the cause of all of his distress.

Katie slammed her hands down on the table, seemingly having had enough.

"You're _not_ a freak!" She snarled vehmently, glaring at them as if daring them to contradict her. Logan found himself almost feeling impressed at the ferocity she displayed, but managed to catch himself just in time.

Katie took deep breaths, trying to calm herself down so her temper wouldn't explode again.

"What I meant," she said much more gently, turning to face Jamie and grabbing his hand, "is that you're my friend. And anyone who says that you're a freak, a loser, or anything even _remotely_ bad, is gonna have to deal with _me_ for concequences!"

Jamie stared at her, stunned.

"R-really?" He asked, disbelief clear in his tone. Katie simply grinned brightly, squeezing his hand in comfort.

"Of course! What did you expect when I told you that you were my friend? Well you better be ready, 'cause you'll never be able to get rid of me now! We're gonna stick together, for better or for worse." She teased gently.

Jamie didn't seem to mind all that much, to his credit, and for that Logan was glad. Jamie was often ignored, both by the X-Men and the New Recruits. It didn't help that Jamie didn't have much control over his mutant abilities yet, which caused much frustration for both him and his instructors. Having a friend, even one as... _exuberant_ as Katie seemed to be, wouldn't hurt anyone.

"I think you made the kid's day with your little speech." Logan said quietly, noticing how much more light Jamie's steps were, and that an invisible weight seemed to have lifted itself off of his shoulders.

"I meant every word." The girl admitted with a careless smile, as if she hadn't just crossed a unspoken line that had been hidden for decades now. "Jamie's my friend. I'm not gonna let him down. Besides," she added, "it's what any self-respecting, decent person would have done."

"Not everyone in the world is like you." He reminded. Katie paused in her task for a moment, a confused frown settling itself on her face as if the thought had never really occurred to her.

"Yeah, well…" She huffed frustratedly, before dismissing the strange notion and returning to her drawing (of what seemed to be some kind of stick figure massacre). "I suppose that's true. But you'll have to excuse me if I can't help but think that they should be."

"Hm." Logan grunted, not even bothering to fight the small smirk that graced his face. "Maybe."


	17. Anthony

Anthony was having an extremely terrible day. One of those days that _really_ make you wish you had just stayed in bed. Or better yet, died. Because even that was a better alternative to what he was facing now.

To be fair, it hadn't started out _too_ horribly. At least, before he actually got out of bed it'd been okay. But then he'd overslept his alarm (for the third day in a row) which normally wouldn't have bothered him much, if it hadn't been for what happened right after.

Really, looking back it probably should have just called in sick and not even bothered to continue with his routine.

Stumbling into his bathroom, he'd groggily turned on for his sink, attempting to wet his face only to suddenly realize (just a moment too late) that he had turned the tap too far, and the water sprayed all over his face and top. Then, to top off this string of bad luck, the lightbulb above him had flickered slightly, then shattered with a small pop. Anthony was plunged into complete darkness, and he'd cursed as he tried to shut the water off and simultaneously reach over and open the door.

From that point on, everything just steadily went downhill.

Rushing into the schoolyard about fifteen minutes later, Anthony bent over, wheezing, as he attempted to catch his breath. In his hurry to arrive on time he had been forced to run the entire way here, which was _definitively_ not something he was used to.

He continued moving forward even as he held a hand over his fast-beating heart, which was most likely the reason why he didn't see the person ahead of him until it was too late.

Bumping into him, Anthony looked up, only to pale.

He'd knocked into _Freddy Dukes_. He was a member of the Brotherhood gang, whatever that meant since the group never seemed to do anything particularly wrong except pick fights with the kids from Xavier's mansion. Nevertheless, with his impressive height and wide girth, the kid was certainly an intimidating sight.

"Watch it." The hulk of a teenage boy grunted, looking down on Anthony with a tiny frown on his face. Freddy moved in front of him, cracking his knuckles. Usually this would be enough to cow the smaller boy, but after all the crap he had just gone through he was _not_ about to let his own classmate push him around.

Instead, his already short and worn temper broke with a vicious _snap_.

"Look," he growled, "I have dealt with enough crap today, and it's not even ten o'clock! So if you've got something to say, just come out and say it instead of wasting _both_ of our time!" Anthony had himself prepared for the angry retort, for the violence that was sure to come, but instead he heard just about the last thing he was expecting.

Freddy was… laughing.

"Guess it's just one of those days, huh?" The older boy said wryly. Then, to further Anthony's surprise, he looked down at him and grinned, happily and heart-felt as if he hadn't just been threatening the other with grievous physical harm.

Anthony couldn't help but give a small, shy, smile in response. It seemed to be infectious. Perhaps he had been wrong to judge so quickly based on appearance and lifestyle.

"Guess so."

Maybe Freddy wasn't so bad after all.

* * *

**Quick note: I'm sorry to bail on you guys so soon after coming back, but I'm going to be away for about the next three weeks, so this will be the last update until the end of July. So sorry for the inconvenience!**


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